Clothes wringer



Feb. 9 1926.

R. J. ANDERSON CLOTHES WRINGER Filed Jan. 20. 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 MEN Feb. 9 1926. 1,572,758

R. J. ANDERSON CLOTHES WRINGER Filed Jan. 20. 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Feb. 9 1926. 1,572,758 R. .J. ANDERSON CLOTHES WRINGER Filed Jan. 20. 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet @I v 90 Feb. '9 1926. 1,572,758

R. J. ANDERSON CLOTHES WRINGER Filed Jan. 2 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 zza g2 /m I fiwezzfom Patented eb. 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

ROBERT J. ANDERSON, 0F SIDNEY, OHIO.

CLOTHES WRINGER.

Application filed January 20,. 1922. Serial No. 530,579.

release safety means of such pressure, and,-

further, the provision of novel wringer rolls employable therewith.

In carrying out my invention I prefer to provide coacting wringer rolls. one of which is a comparatively hard wringer roll and the other of which is a comparatively soft wringer roll, the bodies of both said wringer rolls being preferably of resilient material. I have instanced the lower wringer roll as the comparatively hard roll and the upper wringer roll as the comparatively soft wringer roll. I further prefer to provide wringer rolls of comparatively large diameters. Instancing this latter feature, it may be stated as an example but not as a limitation. that it is the practice to have the' wringer rolls usually employed in connection with power washing machines for home laundry purposes and for hand wringers one and three-quarters inches in diameter. I prefer to make my improved wringer rolls substantially two and three-quarters inches in diameter, thereby providing a body of greater thickness, especially for the com paratively soft wringer roll, permitting.

yield throughout a substantial great thickness of comparatively soft resilient body, I

resisted by a comparatively hard body in the wringing operation, in order to permit the comparatively soft wringer roll to conform to the cross-sectional shape of the goods passing between the rolls at all points throughout the length of the rolls in order to express the fluid from the goods regardless of differences in thickness of the same,

and minimizing the danger and the detrimental effect of having fingers of the operator being seized between the wringer rolls,

and whereby, further, driving relation is ob tained between the surfaces of the wrmger rolls without the employment of gearing between the wringer rolls.

It is the object of my invention further to provide novel adjusting means for determining the relative positions of the axes of rotation of the rolls, and thereby to determine the pressure between the rolls, for instance, due to the resiliency in the comparatively soft wringer roll; and further, to provide quick release safety mechanism for such positioning means, capable of causing quick release of pressure between the rolls, and, further, of causing rearrangement of such quick release mechanism for proper operative relation of the wringer rolls, preferably by manipulation of parts of the quick release mechanism without disturbance of adjustments for positional relation between the wringer rolls.

It is the object of my invention further to provide novel means to control the passage of goods between the wringer rolls'for avoiding wrapping of the goods about the wringer roll, and further to provide novel drain-board and mechanism therefor forl controlling the passage of goods to and from the Wringer rolls.

It is the object of my invention further to provide novel wringer rolls and arrangement of wringer rolls whereby said wringer rolls are self-cleaning. The invention will be further readily understood from the following description and claims, and from the drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a front elevation of a clothes wringer embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same.

Fig. 3 is an end View of the same, showing the drain-board in one position of use in full lines, and in the opposite position of use in dotted lines.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal vertical section, taken on the line 44 of Fig. 3, with the middle portion of the wringer broken away.

,Fig. 5 is a vertical cross-section of one plane of the line 55 of Fig. 4.

IOU

Fig. 6 is a horizontal detail in cross-section, taken in the plane of the line 6-6 of Fig. 4.

Fig. is a perspective view of the releasable bearing for the upper wringer roll.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the end plate. 2

Fig. 9 is a detail of the supporting apron in section on the line 99 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 10 is a vertical cross-section, taken on the line 10.10 of Fig. 1, showing the operatingmeans for the quick release device in clamped relation.

, Fig. 11'. is a similar view, showing .the operating means in release position.

Fig. 12 is a similar View, but showing the operating means at the beginning of clamping movement.

Fig. 13 is a vertical longitudinal section of my improved device, partly broken away, taken in the plane of the line 13-13 of Fig. 2, but showing the quick release means and the upper roll in release position.

Fig. 14 is a vertical longitudinal section of the quick release means, taken in the plane of the line 1414 of Fig. 12, showing the parts at' the beginning of clamping relation.

Fig. 15 is a diagrammatic longitudinal section of the opposed wringer rolls, showing the soft wringer roll contacting at its ends in driving relation, and a heavy bunching of goods, a light bunching of goods, and a normal stretch of goods between the wringer rolls, to show the compressive effects of these various conditions upon the soft wringer roll. 1

Fig. 16 is a diagrammatic vertical crosssection, taken in the plane of the line 16-.16 of Fig. 15, and showing the wringer rolls in normal contact relation, with the lower por-' tion of the soft wringer roll compressed and displaced by the hard wringer roll under normal pressure for driving relation, the rolls being partly broken away.

I do not herein claim the wringer rolls, the relation of wringer rolls having different surface resistance to pressure, the association of a comparatively soft wringer' roll with a comparatively hard wringer roll, or the driving relation between wringer rolls, herein shown and described, having shown, described and claimed the same in a copending application, for improvements in clothes. wringers, filed in the United States Patent Office January 8, 1923, as Serial No. 611,242,

' which copending application is a continuation of this application as to all subject matter common to the two applications.

The frame'of the wringer'is exemplified at 21, andmay comprise a front plate 22, a rear plate 23 and a top plate 24, which may be of light 'metal, for instance, aluminum, and be. suitably connected to ether or integral with each other asdesire End frames 26 frames.

are provided. These end frames are 'preferably wood, and may be secured in the main frame by means of screws 27, passing through the front and rear plates respectively, into the end frames. Finishing strips 28 of metal may be secured to the respective ends of the wringer frame as by tacking thesame to the wood end frames.

The lower ends of the end frames are provided with slots 30 to form legs 31, arranged to be suitably secured, for instance, to the usual wringer-bar of a washing machine when the wringer is used in a power washer, or to a suitable tub when used as a manual wringer, the bar or rim of the tub being received in the slots and suitable securing means therefor being received through holes 32 in the legs of the end frames.

A lower roll 35 comprises a wringer body 36, which is exemplified as-of comparatively hard substance, .for instance, of comparatively hard resilient rubber, such as is now usually employed in wringer rolls, having a large amount. of hardening substance, for instance, chalk, clay or other earthy substance, in its composition, for making the same substantially resistant to indentation by pressure of the goods passing between the rolls, though not wholly so. This body is shown on a shaft 37 journaled in bearings 38, and has attaching means 39 at its end by means of which to connect the shaft with the power shaft of a washing machine, or

segments 48 of the end frames, and with guide-faces 49 coacting with guides 50 in the end frames. The guide faces and guides are at the respective sides of the segment sections of the slides in order toprevent undue turning of said bearings in their guides, and for locating the bearings 43, 44 thereof in parallelism with the shaft of the upper wringer roll. i

The upper ends of the end 'framesare provided with slots 51, 52, in which the ends of the upperroll shaft are received. The bearings 38 for the'lower roll shaft are shown as bushings inserted in the intermediate solid portions of the respective end These bushings and the upper bearings are preferably anti-friction bearings, th'elower bearings being preferably composed of anti-friction substance, which may be impregnated with oil, and the upper bearings being of wood impregnated with a fatty substance, for instance, tallow.

Suitable means are provided for preferably unyieldingly holding the bearings of the upper roll and lower roll at definite dis tances apart for causing any yield there may be during ordinary operation between the rolls to take place within the rolls, and more especially in one of the rolls, namely, the soft wringer roll, which is substantially more yieldable than the comparatively hard wringer roll coacting therewith.

This comparatively soft wringer roll when employed, preferably comp-rises a body 55, which is preferably a substantially pure, soft vulcanized rubber, forming a comparatively soft'resilient body, with relation to the hard body of the hard wringer roll. The roll may also be of substantially greater diameter than wringer rolls ofthis character heretofore employed, as hereinbefore ex plained, for providing a resiliently yielding body of substantial depth to receive and re sist the goods passing between the rolls in such manner that pressure is exerted upon 'the goods throughout the length of the roll,

wringer roll alongthe contact lin ebetween the wringer rolls,'to form a contacting band 56 between the wringer rolls, the soft wringer roll being thereby formed with bulges 57, 58, along the wringer roll at the respective sides of said contacting band.

' This indentation of the soft wringer roll by the hard wringer roll forms a driving connection between the wringer rolls, the hard wringer roll being instanced as the driving wringer roll, and the soft wringer roll as the'driven wringer roll, this in dentation of the soft wringer roll by the hard wringer roll preferably forming the sole driving connection between the wringer rolls when wringer rolls of this character are employed.

Upon goods 53 being passed between the wringer rolls, the indentation of the soft wringer roll is increased locally at the goods, thereby resiliently yielding to the increased pressure of the goods resisted by increased pressure of the body of the soft wringer roll, dependent on the thickness of the goods.

This. yielding of the soft wringer roll is local merely, so that bunches of, goods of different thicknesses as at 59 and 60, may be passed side by side between the wringer rolls, the soft wringer roll yielding locally or in spots to the bunches of various thicknesses, so that all portions of the goods simultaneously passing between the wringer rolls shall receive pressure for expressing the fluid therefrom, at the same time maintaining driving connection between the wringer rolls or between the wringer rolls and the goods therebetween.

My improved construction is such, fur ther, that the employment of springs or similar tension devices acting uponthe wringer rolls may be dispensed with, and I prefer to fixedly position the bearings .of the upper wringer roll with relation to the bearings of the lower wringer roll, but desirably provide means whereby, when desired, a quick release of pressure between the wringer rolls may be effected.

I have shown such quick release safety means arranged so that release of the upper wringer rollrnay be instantly effected, and so that repositioning of the wringer roll may be obtained without disturbance of the adjustments for distance relations between the bearings of the upper and lower wringer rolls, but preferably provide adjusting means whereby the distance between the bearings at the respective ends of the wringer rolls may be adjusted for adjusting, the pressure between wringer rolls and the normal extent of entrance of the hard wringer roll into the soft wringer roll.

The means for positioning the upper bearings are shown' as alpair of positioning screws 61, 62, received in threaded holes 63, 64, the positioning screws being provided with shoulders 65, 66, arranged to bear upon the upper ends of the walls of the threaded holes for determining the limit of movement of the positioning screws toward the bearings, and having knurled heads to readilyturn the same. If desired, the positioning screws may be unscrewed for relief of pressure between the rolls, as when the wringer is out of use, the shoulders however determining the normal positional relations between the bearings when the wringer is again placed in normal use.

If adjustment for the upper bearings is desired, I prefer to provide an adjusting means between said positioning screws and j said bearings. Thls is accomplished in the -70,' are adjustably received, jam nuts 71, 7 :2.

clamping the abutment screws in adjusted positions, The abutment screws are arranged to coact with contact heads 73, 74, having shanks 75, 76, received and held in holes in the respective upper bearings.

The positioning screw 61 is shown located in a positioning part 80, shown as a lever pivoted on a pin 81, suitably held in the main frame. This lever is preferably at one end of the upper portion of the main frame for acting on one of the bearings, and is shown located in ,an opening 8:2 in the top plate. r

In order to hold the positioning lever in operative relation I provide a latching part, shown as a latch-lever 83, pivoted on a pin 84, received in bearings 85 of a hood 86, secured as by means of screws 87 to-the upper end of one of the end frames. This latch-lever comprises a latch 9O, arranged to be received above the outer end of the positioning-lever, a heel 91, arranged to be contacted by an operating part, and a shelf 92 arranged to be contacted by the positioning lever for returning the latch lever to' latching relation.

The heel is shown provided with a camface 96. An operating part 97 for the latchlever 83 is shown asCompriSi-ng an operating lever pivoted on a bolt 98, fixed in a bearing 99 of the hood 86 in such manner as to permit ready swinging of the operating lever. The operating lever is provided with a cam 101, which coacts with the cam 96. The cam 96 ispreferably concave and the cam 101 convex and of greater curvature.

These cams preferably extend equally to both sidesof the vertical plane in which the pivotal axis of the operating lever is located,

a so that movement of the operating end of the operating lever in either direction acts to releasethe latch-lever, and consequently the pressure between the wringer rolls. The operating end of the operating lever is shown of sgbstantial length and width and in convenient position to be readily grasped bv the operator.

The latched relation of the operating part is exemplified in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 10. The released relation of the latch-lever and operating part for separated relations between the wringer-rolls is illustrated in Figs. ,11 and 13.

Referring to Fig. 11, it willbe noted that theoperating lever is at its cam-end proin unlatched relation, as indicated in Figs. 11 and 13. y

The outer end of the positioning lever 80 is provided with a contact-lug 105, arranged to contact the shelf when the positioning lever is returned to normal position. The striking of said shelf by the positioning lever causes descent of the shelf and swinging of the latch, so that the edge of the latch is received above the positioning lever, and the heel of the latch is moved out of obstructing relation with the rib on the operating lever, whereby the beginning of the cam on the operating lever is placed in operative relation with the beginning of the cam on the heel, as indicated in Figs. 12 and 14. Absence of pressure springs for the rolls aids in such replacement.

Pressure upon the operating lever in the corresponding directionwill cause climbing of the cams and the forcing of the latchlever with its latch into locking relation, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 10. The latching is effected without disturbance of adjustment of pressure parts for the rolls.

I prefer to provide end plates 108 at the inner faces of the end frames. These end plates are preferably duplicates of .each other, and comprise recesses 109, 110, substantially coincident respectively with the cylinders of the respective rolls, and inner walls 111, 112, substantially in the planes of the respective ends of the wringer rolls. These inner walls merge withthe peripheral walls of the respective recesses and are preferably wedge-shaped as shown at 113 to enter the mouths'114, 115, between the rolls formed by the peripheries of the coacting wringer rolls at the respective sides of said wringer rolls, to limitmovement of goods beyond the ends of the rolls, thereby retain ing the goodsbeing wrung between the rolls.

The ends ofthe respective rolls are preferably provided with' washers 117. The respective recesses have bosses 118, 119, ex-

tending inwardly from the bottoms of saidr recesses to form end abutments for said washers. The plate is provided with a cen- :tral slot 120, in which the outwardly extending ends of the shafts of the wringer rolls are received. Thercspective walls of this slot project outwardly and upwardly,

wringer roll coact for readily returning the upper wringer roll into seating relation for parallelism with the lower wrlnger roll, when rearranging the clamping relation of the quick-release device, and for permitting the ready and quick release and upward swinging of the upper wringer roll upon operation of said quick release device. v

Upon operation of the quick release device, the pressure exerted by the upper roll causes a quick rise and release of the re leasable bearing 45, which in turn will cause an upward and inward swinging of the positioning lever, as shown in Fig. 13, for providing a wide release space between the wringer rolls.

The lower wall 122 of the lower recess is preferably inclined downwardly and inwardly for forming a drain-shelf to shed the water which may pass beyond the ends of the rolls, inwardly, upon the drain-board hereinafter described, the upper surfaces of the wedge-shaped end walls 111 directing the water from the upper roll recess into the lower roll recess. The side walls 124 of the upper roll recess extend upwardly for forming side flanges for the plate. Channels 125 are thereby formed between the respective walls of the slot 120 and said respective flanges for directing the passage of water downwardly to said shelves. The endplates are suitably secured to the main frame, as by screws 130 into the end frames.

A drain-board 131 is provided and is preferably constructed of an integral piece, for

instance, an aluminum casting, comprising a plate 132 and end-walls 133, extending up and down from said plate and having bearings 134, 135, at their respective ends for receiving the shafts 136, 137, of anti-friction rollers 138, 139.

Each of the end-walls 133 is at its outer surface provided with a slot 141, in which an upper pin 142 in the end-wall of the wringer is received, and seated against the ends of the'slot 141. The middle portion of each of said end-walls 133 is provided at its lower edge with hooks 143, 144, respectively arranged to be received about lower pins 145, 146, projecting inwardly from the endwall of the wringer.

This arrangement permits ready positioning of the drain-board, so as to cause its respective sides to depend from the wringerframe in opposite directions, by merely raising the depending end to release the hooks engaging the pins and sliding the drainboard between the end-frames of the wringer to bring its other hooks into coactive relation with the other lower pins. The hooks prevent the drain-board being pushed out of position by goods passing between the wringer-rolls.

The respective front and rear plates of the wringer frame are provided with aprons 150, 151, slanting downwardly at each side of the wringer from the respective mouths between the rolls and form supports for the clothes, on which the clothes may be held and presented into the months between the wringer rolls and grasped by the rotating wringer rolls without danger of gripping of the fingers by the wringer rolls. The rolls of large diameter form wide mouths for ready admission of clothes between the rolls.

These supporting aprons are at their inner edge preferably provided respectively with stripper lips 152, 153, adjacent to the periphery of the lower wringer roll to strip clothes therefrom which may follow the wringer roll after they have passed between the wringer rolls, thereby counteracting any tendency of the clothes to wrap about the lower wringer roll.

In order to minimize attraction between the clothes and the supporting aprons, I desirably provide the upper surface of the supporting aprons with grooves 154 extending crosswise of the axes of the wringer roll, as shown in Fig. 9, forming flutes, to minimize friction between the clothes and the supporting aprons, although said upper surface may be plain, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a clothes wringer of the character described, the-combination with a frame, of a comparatively hard resilient wringer roll and a comparatively soft resilient wringer roll mounted in said frame, said wringer rolls being of comparatively great and substantially equal diameters, the sole driving means between said rolls consisting in the entrance by pressure of the cylinder of said comparatively hard wringer roll into the normal cylinder of said comparatively soft wringer roll, maintaining means to maintain said pressure, means between said maintaining means and said rolls to transmit said pressure, and quick release safety means comprising a retaining element cooperating with said maintaining means and a releasing element therefor, said maintaining means acted on solely by said resiliency in said resilient wringer rolls to cause separating movement between said wringer rolls.

2. Ina clothes wringer of the character described, the combination with a frame, of

a pair of cylindrical wringer rolls supported thereby, one of said wringer rolls being a driving wringer roll comprising a comparatively hard body and the other of said wringer rollsbeing a driven wringer roll comprising a resilient body substantially softer than said comparatively hard body, positioning means to cause given pressure between said wringer rolls whereby the cylinder of said comparatively hard wringer roll enters the normal cylinder of said resilient substantially softer wringer roll, said positioning means comprising adjusting means to adjustably fix the distance between the axes of rotation of said wringer rolls, and'quick release safety means to release said positioning means acted on by said resiliency of said resilient substantially softer wringer roll to urge relieving movement in said quick re being mounted in said frame, a lever ,com-

prising a hook for said part, said lever having a heel, the pivot of said lever being between said hook and' said heel, and a quick release lever acting with pressure on said heel whereby to press said presser-part by means of said hook.

4. In a quick release device for a clothes wringer, the combinationwlth a frame, of a.

presser-part acting upon a roll, supported by said frame, a lever comprising a hook for said part, said lever having a heel. the pivot of said lever being between said hook and 4 said heel, and a quick release lever acting with pressure on said heel whereby to press said presser-part by means of said hook, and the pivotal axes of said levers being at substantial right angles to each other.

5. In a quick release device for a clothes wringer, the combination with a frame, of a pres'ser-part acting upon a roll supported by said frame, a lever comprising a hook for said part, said lever having a heel, and a quick release lever acting with pressure on said heel whereby to press said presser-part by means of said hook, the pivotal axes of said levers being at substantial right angles to each other, and said heel and said quick release lever having co'acting faces at both sides of the pivotal axis of said second lever.

6. In a quick release device for aclothes wringer, the combination with a frame, of a releasable wringer roll located therein, a bearing therefor in said frame, a lever having a fixed pivot, a positioning part on said lever co-acting with said bearing, a latch to releasably lock said,lever,' said bearing, said positioning part and said lever being maintained in fixed relations during latched 'relation of said latch whereby to unyieldingly position said bearing, and a quick/release lever acting on said latch.

' 7 In a quick .release device for 'a clothes wringer, the combination with a frame, of a bearing for a wringer roll mounted therein,

erative position of saidbearing, a quick release lever, and a pivoted latching part com prising a latch cooperating with saidpositioning part to maintain the latter in operative relation, a shelf having connection with said. latching part and a heel coacting with said latching part, said shelf positioned to be actedon by said positioning part to place said heel in coactive relation with said quick release lever, and said quick release lever cooperating with said heel to place said latching part in latching relation.

8. In a quick release device for a clothes wringer, the-combination with a frame, of a bearing for a clothes wringer mounted there in, a positioning part operated to locate the operative position of said bearing, a quick release lever, and a pivoted latching part comprising a latch cooperating with said positioning part tq maintain the latter in operative relation, a shelf having connection with said latchingpart and a heel c0- acting with said latching part, saidshelf positioned to be acted on by said positioning part to place said heel in coactive relation with said quick release lever, said quick release lever cooperating with said heel to place said latching part in latching relation, and said heel and said quick release lever provided with coacting faces to hold said latching part in unlatched relation.

9. In a quick release device for a clothes wringer, the combination with a frame, of a bearing for a wringer roll mounted therein,

a positioning part operated to locate the operative position of said bearing, a quick release lever, and a pivoted latching part comprising 'a'latch cooperating with said positioning part to 'maintain the latter in operative relation, a shelf having connection with said latching part and a heel coacting with said latching part, said shelf positioned to be acted on by said positioning part to place said heel in coactive relation with said quick release lever, and said quick release lever comprising a cam-face cooperating with said heel and extending to both sides of a right line between the axis of said lever and the contact point of'said cam with said heel. when said latching part is in latched rela-- latter, an abutment washer at each end of I said upper roll, a releasable bearing for an end of said shaft, a hold-down part acting on said bearing, and an end 'frame for said upper roll located partly between said upper roll-and said bearing, said end frame having an inner contact face which slants upwardly and outwardly toward said bearingand arranged to be contacted by one of said end washers to direct said upperrollinto lengthwise arrangement withsaid lower roll. I

11. In a clothes wringer of the character described, the combination of a pair of wringer rolls'fone of sald wringer rolls being a driving wringer roll comprising a comparatively hardresilient body, means for rotating the same and the other of said wringer rolls being a driven'wringer roll comprising a resilient solid body substantially softer than said comparatively hard resilient body, said rolls arranged for having the goods being Wrung pass between 5 them, positioning means to cause pressure between said Wringer rolls whereby the outer periphery of said comparatively hard resilient wringer roll enters the normal cylinder of said resilient solid substantially softer wringerroll, said positioning means comprising adjusting means to adj ustably fix the distance between the axes of rotation of said wringer rolls, and pressure relief means to relieve the pressure between said rolls, said positioning means and pressure relief means 15' provided With coacting parts to return said positioning means to operative relation While said adjusting means are maintained in previously adjusted relations.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto 20 signed my name.

ROBERT J. ANDERSON. 

